Tarkan

At the end of the 1990s, a song with a kiss in its chorus became a hit across Europe. It was “Şımarık”, and its singer, Tarkan, became one of the first Turkish pop stars known far beyond Turkey. The press calls him “Megastar” and “the Prince of the Bosphorus”, and in Istanbul his songs are still everywhere.

Who Is Tarkan?

Tarkan Tevetoğlu was born on 17 October 1972 in Alzey, then in West Germany, to Turkish parents. In 1986, his family moved back to Turkey and settled in Karamürsel, near the Sea of Marmara. Later, in Istanbul, he studied at the Üsküdar Music Society and began to sing on stage.

His first album, Yine Sensiz, came out in 1992. His albums have since sold millions of copies, and his awards include a World Music Award and several Golden Butterfly Awards.

The Songs of Tarkan

Şımarık, the kiss heard round the world

“Şımarık”, Turkish for “spoilt”, appeared on his 1998 album Ölürüm Sana. Soon it became a hit in many countries, also in an English version, “Kiss Kiss”.

From Kuzu Kuzu to Ahde Vefa

Next came “Kuzu Kuzu” and “Hüp” in 2001 and, in 2006, his first English album, Come Closer. Metamorfoz followed in 2007. His 2010 album, Adımı Kalbine Yaz, was a major hit in Turkey, and in 2016 he released Ahde Vefa, a homage to classical Turkish music.

Feel the Istanbul of Tarkan

Would you like to hear Turkish pop where it lives? Send us your dates, and we will see if Tarkan has a concert that week, book the tickets and plan the evening. Our Istanbul night tour takes you through the city after dark, and a Bosphorus cruise lets you play the songs of the Prince of the Bosphorus on the water itself. For an earlier legend of Turkish music, read about Barış Manço. Send us your dates, and we check Tarkan’s concert calendar for you.